Do you hate your inbox?

Start 2024 with a healthier relationship with email. It is necessary and can be very rewarding to clean up your emails. Studies show that it can improve organization, reduce clutter, and make it easier to find important messages. Here are some great tips to help you get started:
Use that unsubscribe button. Boy do I get a lot of emails! I always think I will get around to reading this or that, but I rarely do. I make it my mission now to unsubscribe from newsletters and promotional emails that I no longer find useful or interesting. You can use the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom.
Make a file system. Rooting through pages of emails to find something is such a waste of time. I found organizing my emails by creating folders or labels helpful. You can categorize emails into folders based on topics, projects, or sender. I have one for travel, one for purchases, and one for personal correspondence. This makes it easier to locate specific emails later.
Out with the old. I archive emails that I don’t need now but might need later. Archiving removes emails from my main inbox but keeps them accessible in a folder. This helps in decluttering my inbox.
Delete, delete, delete! My favorite thing to do at the end of each ear is to delete emails I no longer need. You can sort by date, sender or attachment a delete them away! I try to be selective about what I keep in my inbox.
Use search and filter. To find specific emails quickly, I use the search function. I also set up filters to automatically categorize and organize incoming emails. This helps prevent my inbox from getting cluttered in the first place.
Empty that spam and junk. Sometimes, the stuff I am looking for ends up in my spam and junk folders. You should check and delete emails that have been automatically filtered.
Don’t forget the sent folder! I go through my sent items and delete outdated emails, especially large file sizes. This frees up space in my email account.
Don’t save attachments in your inbox. To reduce your mailbox size, always download important attachments and then delete the email if it’s no longer needed.
Rules help it work nicely. I use email rules and filters to automatically categorize and organize incoming emails. This is especially useful for managing newsletters, notifications, and other types of emails.
Maintain the effort. If you make cleaning up your email a regular task, you might just find you don’t hate it as much. I set aside time every couple of months to go through my inbox and apply strategies to keep it organized.
Remember that the specific steps might vary depending on your email provider. Always check the features and options provided by your email service for more customized cleanup strategies.

Start 2024 with a fresh inbox. It feels amazing!

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Alicia Betancourt, Community and Family Development Extension Agent and County Extension Director for UF/IFAS Extension Monroe County
Posted: December 5, 2023


Category: Clubs & Volunteers, Professional Development, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & Life
Tags: Archive, Attachments, Cleanup Strategies., Delete, Email Provider, Filters, Folders, Gmail, Inbox, Junk Folder, Labels, Newsletters, Organize, Outlook, Projects, Promotional Emails, Regular Maintenance, Rules, Search Function, Sender, Sent Items, Spam Folder, Topics, Unsubscribe, Yahoo


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